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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, November 12, 2008

UH sailor dies of injuries

Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Peter McGonigle Wenner

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Peter McGonigle Wenner, a member of the University of Hawai'i coed sailing team, died yesterday as a result of injuries sustained in a recreational boating accident Saturday.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner's office identified Wenner, who died at 9:20 a.m. at Straub Clinic & Hospital. The case is classified as an unattended death by Honolulu police pending autopsy findings today for cause and manner of death.

Police said Wenner was aboard a sailboat that capsized about two miles off Waikiki Saturday at 5 p.m. He became tangled in the sailboat's equipment and was trapped under water for between five and 10 minutes before being freed.

Wenner, 19, was brought to the Ala Wai Boat Harbor and turned over to city Emergency Medical Services personnel, who took him to Straub in critical condition.

"My heartfelt condolences go out to P.J.'s family and friends," said UH athletic director Jim Donovan. "P.J. was a loved member of the UH athletics department 'ohana. He touched so many lives at such a young age and we will miss him dearly."

"Peter represented everything good about being an athlete, sailor, and student here at the University of Hawai'i," said Andy Johnson, UH sailing head coach. "He was the heart and soul of our team and we will all miss him immensely."

A memorial service is scheduled for 5 p.m. today at the Newman Center on the UH campus.

The service is open to the public. In addition, a family service will be held in Los Angeles, Nov. 18.

Wenner, a sophomore, was a 2007 graduate of Loyola High School in Los Angeles. In September, he competed for the UH coed team at the Pacific Coast Conference Sailing Men's Singlehanded Championships in San Diego, and took sixth place.

Last season, Wenner participated in several regattas, including a fifth-place showing at the Pacific Coast Conference Sailing Men's Singlehanded Championships. He also competed on the UH team that placed sixth at the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association Sloop National Championship in Fort Worth, Texas last November.

Peter's brother, Matthew Wenner, is a freshman on the coed team. Peter Wenner was supposed to compete with the coed team this weekend at the PCCSC Fall Dinghy Championships in Santa Barbara, Calif.